Kyle Edmund had his moments against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the US Open, but they were too few and and too short. The world No1, not exactly at his best and still favouring his right elbow, gathered his resources efficiently enough to win 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in just under two hours and move through to the quarter-finals on Tuesday against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who earlier on day seven beat the American Jack Sock with some to spare.
Edmund moves up to 55 in the world – two behind his compatriot Dan Evans, who left the tournament in a blaze of great shots the previous evening against the world No3 Stan Wawrinka. British tennis is improving – but there is a way to go.
That gulf was evident for most of Sunday night’s match. Edmund went blow for blow with the world No1 from the start, but got a little over-eager in the hitting war and Djokovic broke in the third game.
He saved break point after a double fault and aced on his way to 3-2 after 20 minutes, but there was little in it. And a little attitude entered the equation when Djokovic smashed a volley straight at Edmund on the first point of the fourth game. He raised a hand in contrition, but his opponent looked the other way.
Edmund saved two break points but not a third as Djokovic built steady pressure to go 5-2 up on the half hour. He took the set, but not convincingly, adding two double faults. Neither player had properly got in a groove, but the defending champion was hitting with more variety.
Edmund’s successes were fleeting – a couple of break points early in the second after dropping serve – and he too often overlooked that lethal forehand. When he stuck a backhand into the tramlines for 0-3, the wheels threatened to come off completely.
He finally got on the board again with an unreachable volley down the middle, but he needed a string of points, not just the odd invasion of Djokovic’s mounting confidence. Djokovic completed the job with a gorgeous drop shot and a concluding lob – they had been playing a mere 69 minutes.
When he dropped his serve to love in the second game of the third set, he gave the appearance of playing get-me-out-of-here tennis – understandable, perhaps, but not a great look. The cheers for him had turned from encouragement to sympathy. No athlete likes to be patronised but it was in his gift to at least make a fight of it.
And then something rather nice happened to the sandy-haired kid from Yorkshire: he broke the serve of the world No1 – not be accident either. Edmund went shot for shot with Djokovic in a couple of close-quarter exchanges and was mightily relieved to see his opponent make a mess of a volley at the net for the break.
Djokovic had the physiotherapist on in the changeover to attend to his right elbow, and Edmund upped his game to hold and level at 2-all. At last, he was in the game, after nearly an hour and a half of a one-sided contest. Djokovic faltered in the fifth game. Edmund smashed it for deuce on the Serb’s serve. Djokovic hit long – twice. And Edmund was in front for the first time since the start of the match.
The crowd loved it. People who had never heard of him a couple of days ago were screaming “Come on, Kyle!” And Edmund looked pretty pleased too. Within minutes, however, his lead evaporated, Djokovic having rediscovered his zest to break back. As the clock ticked past midnight, the inevitable dawned and then was made concrete.
Edmund was playing his best tennis of the evening, but it still wasn’t good enough. Serving to stay in the match, Edmund hit the net for the last time, chasing yet another drop shot, and it was done.
Djokovic said of Edmund, “I think he was overwhelmed by the stage today. I think he hasn’t played on the level that he can, to be honest. But his forehand is really big. When he sets it up very nicely, he can hit a very good forehand from all over the court.
“He made a lot of errors but, generally, he played a good tournament. He beat (Richard) Gasquet; he beat (John) Isner. For someone his age he’s showing mental maturity, no doubt. He’s getting things together. I am sure we going to see more of him in the future.”
Edmund admitted he did not play well until midway through the third set, but said, “To play the world No1 on the biggest tennis court in the world, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“It’s been a great tournament for me: loads and loads of positives, the way I’ve been playing. The good thing is, I feel like there’s a lot of stuff I can improve on and get better, as well, and the level I’m playing at.
“I need to get my serve better. Obviously my forehand’s my strength, but that needs to continue to develop, because otherwise it stands still and people get better as well. Everything needs to improve.
“You see how well Djokovic moves. That’s the standard he’s putting out there. I’ve got to get better at my movement. I got to get better at my shot management, when to pull the trigger, when to rally.”
